Help Kate Kick Cancer's Ass!
Donation protected
In September, 2016, I found a lump the size of a golf ball underneath my right nipple. Three weeks later, I had surgery to remove part of my breast (lumpectomy) and 18 lymph nodes, 9 of which were cancerous. My stage IIIA cancer was invasive and aggressive, and as if that wasn’t enough, I soon learned that I was positive for the BRCA2 gene mutation—putting me at high risk for breast and several other cancers.
I was in shock—not only because chemo and radiation were not part of my plans for this year, but also, because of the BRCA2, the lumpectomy wasn’t going to be enough. I’d need to have preventative surgery to remove both of my breasts, as well as my ovaries and fallopian tubes after the initial treatments were completed. I’ll need regular, extra screenings for colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma, and I’ll be on hormone therapy pills for 5-10 years to help prevent a recurrence.
It’s almost impossible to describe what happens when you get a cancer diagnosis. People talk about “bravery” and “strength” but really, you just do what the doctors tell you to do, one day at a time, and hope that you’ll get to the other side. I still have treatments ahead of me. Even though I’ve finished with chemo and radiation, the other side seems impossibly far away. And the medical experience is only one part of what I’m going through.
As a single mother/freelance writer and media consultant, I have neither a partner nor a corporate benefits package to help me through this journey financially. I’ve been unable to work since my diagnosis because the side effects of the chemo & radiation have left me exhausted, nauseated, sore, and completely unable to work.
It’s been nearly nine months since my diagnosis, and I still have 6 months (or more) to go before the surgeries and treatments end. I’ve been living off my savings, which have dwindled to less than $20,000.
I’m scared.
I’m scared of the cancer recurring, I’m scared of getting another cancer. I’m scared that I’ll run out of money.
Anxiety about all of this fills my days and my nights.
I’m embarrassed to be asking for money, but I don’t know what else to do. I am hoping to raise $50,000 to cover medical and living expenses during the remainder of my treatment cycle and to provide some financial stability. With a little luck, I’ll be healthy and back to work in 2018—and very grateful for your support.
In my dreams at night, I’m a regular person—living a life pre-cancer. When I wake up, the sadness, fear, and anxiety flood over me within seconds. It’s really hard for me to ask for help, but I’m asking because I have no other choice at this point.
Please consider giving—any amount will make a difference.
xoxo,
Kate
I was in shock—not only because chemo and radiation were not part of my plans for this year, but also, because of the BRCA2, the lumpectomy wasn’t going to be enough. I’d need to have preventative surgery to remove both of my breasts, as well as my ovaries and fallopian tubes after the initial treatments were completed. I’ll need regular, extra screenings for colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma, and I’ll be on hormone therapy pills for 5-10 years to help prevent a recurrence.
It’s almost impossible to describe what happens when you get a cancer diagnosis. People talk about “bravery” and “strength” but really, you just do what the doctors tell you to do, one day at a time, and hope that you’ll get to the other side. I still have treatments ahead of me. Even though I’ve finished with chemo and radiation, the other side seems impossibly far away. And the medical experience is only one part of what I’m going through.
As a single mother/freelance writer and media consultant, I have neither a partner nor a corporate benefits package to help me through this journey financially. I’ve been unable to work since my diagnosis because the side effects of the chemo & radiation have left me exhausted, nauseated, sore, and completely unable to work.
It’s been nearly nine months since my diagnosis, and I still have 6 months (or more) to go before the surgeries and treatments end. I’ve been living off my savings, which have dwindled to less than $20,000.
I’m scared.
I’m scared of the cancer recurring, I’m scared of getting another cancer. I’m scared that I’ll run out of money.
Anxiety about all of this fills my days and my nights.
I’m embarrassed to be asking for money, but I don’t know what else to do. I am hoping to raise $50,000 to cover medical and living expenses during the remainder of my treatment cycle and to provide some financial stability. With a little luck, I’ll be healthy and back to work in 2018—and very grateful for your support.
In my dreams at night, I’m a regular person—living a life pre-cancer. When I wake up, the sadness, fear, and anxiety flood over me within seconds. It’s really hard for me to ask for help, but I’m asking because I have no other choice at this point.
Please consider giving—any amount will make a difference.
xoxo,
Kate
Organizer
Kate Bernhardt
Organizer
Arlington, MA
